Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Come Join The Losing Team And Die!

I've read a bunch of Internet comments and pundits blathering suggesting that if we bomb ISIS, it will become a great recruiting tool for them. Picture that. ISIS using videos of F-18s blasting ISIS vehicles, artillery pieces, infantry and leaders into oblivion with the message, "Join us and die like this!"

Err, maybe not.

On the other hand, Hot Air posted a real, live ISIS recruiting video. It's since been removed from YouTube, but while it was up, I didn't see too many American bombs falling. I did see ISIS guys blowing things up and Americans retreating and vowing not to send in the Army.

2 comments:

Exactly. And how can their recruits have fantasies about blowing up foreign troops and making them retreat, unless those troops are there to encourage such fantasies?

Before going much further with this, I'd like you to consider two scenarios:

1) It is the height of the Cold War as it actually happened. A shadowy figure approaches you, and tries to recruit you to go on an undercover suicide mission to the Soviet Union to murder a bunch of people there and blow stuff up. He's a bit vague on what strategic objective will be achieved by this, other than to make them hopping mad. You'll almost certainly not be coming back. Do you take him up on it?

2) It is an alternate Cold War turned fairly hot. About a decade previously, the Soviets had managed to invade and occupy most of California, and since then they've been trying to suppress resistance with middling success. There is considerable destruction as a result, and you personally know a lot of people who have been killed, some in the fighting and some by accident. A lot of the ones who have been fighting are managing to avoid getting killed, and have great war stories to tell. The same shadowy figure approaches you to recruit you into a resistance cell. Do you take him up on it?

And how can their recruits have fantasies about blowing up foreign troops and making them retreat, unless those troops are there to encourage such fantasies?

Nobody said anything about blowing up troops.

In case you missed the pictures from the news, they really like killing most anybody. Does the existence of those who aren't vocal supporters of their little death cult act to "encourage such fantasies" too?